Okay, I got it figured out. I think.

[FedoraDave]

My first experience with kegging has been a little rocky. First, I was a dumbass and didn't put Teflon tape on the connector for the regulator. When the leak caused the temperature in the keezer to drop to zero, I realized CO2 was leaking (fortunately, this took less than a day). I remedied that situation, got the temp regulated, and figured it would be okay.

It wasn't. It just didn't seem to be carbing, even though I'd given it plenty of time, based on what I've read, and had the psi up to 30.

Clearly, something was wrong. I called my LHBS a couple days ago, and outlined the situation, and axed them what the causes might be. After asking me some questions (I love the customer service at this place!), it was concluded that, barring a faulty keg, there had to be some kind of leak that was bleeding CO2. He suggested I spray the keg lid and posts with Star-San and look for bubbles, which I did, but didn't see any. But I did tighten up every hose clamp I could find.

That seemed to do the trick, because after only a day at 20 psi, I drew a beer with a lovely, foamy head, and pretty darn good carbonation.

I've just kegged my second batch, and I'm eager to see if this did the trick. You can bet I checked all connections for the tightest seals possible. A couple of days at 20 psi, and I'll draw my first pint of 2 Daves Irish Red Ale.

[Inkleg]

Welcome to kegging. Wait till you empty a 20 pounder.

Congratulations on your first pour.

[alb]

I had that same problem when I started kegging. And the fix was exactly as yours was. I think you’re gonna LOVE not having to wait for natural carbing! And it’s nice not having to deal with sediment on every pour. Sometimes I still need a nice longneck, so I use my bottling wand in a picnic tap and fill a bottle for immediate (or at least very soon) consumption.

[Dawg LB Steve]

Glad you got it figured out Dave, after a week you should have had a slight undercarbed pour, but drinkable. Had to be something simple. I do same thing alb, but I bottle for the future when a keg kicks and gives me a bit of variety too.

[Yankeedag]

Do you roll your keg during initial pressurization?

[ScrewyBrewer]

Leaks are common issues with new setups, I went through the same thing too. The good news is that once a kegging setup is working right you shouldn't have to leak test it as often.

[Gymrat]

My first 5lb bottle of CO2 lasted a year and a half. I went and exchanged it because I had friends coming over and didn't want to run out while they were there. After lifting my old bottle right next to the new one I don't think that would have happened. You get a lot of kegs out of one CO2 bottle. I have a second one now that I use for my picnic tapper, and to shoot some CO2 into kegs I have just filled. I naturally carb them so they are ready the day I blow a keg I am using. I shoot 10lbs in at kegging time just to keep oxidation from happening while they wait.

[FedoraDave]

Thanks, guys. It's nice to know I just made a natural n00b mistake. And it's nice to know things should run tickety-boo from now on.

Dawg, I did have drinkable beer, but it was pretty flat, with a thin layer of large bubbles, rather than head on top.

Yankeedag, what's the benefit of rolling the keg? I'd have to unhook everything to do it, which seems like a nuisance, but if it's a beneficial technique, I'll give it a try.

Alb, I'll still be bottling, since I make two 2.5 gallon batches for every fiver, and I won't keg those. I also don't know how quickly I'll be going through each keg, so while I have three (two on tap and one primed and conditioned and ready to go, as Roger does), I may still need to bottle a fiver now and then if production exceeds consumption.

Screwy, I'll probably get in the habit of leak testing the connection when I change CO2 bottles, and also just periodically giving the hose clamps a quick twist now and then. Now that I've identified the problem, it's just a matter of maintenance.

[Inkleg]

Rolling the keg is called "Burst Carbing". Hook your Co2 to it at 30 psi, unhook, shake/roll, hook back up and repeat till the beer is carbed. Problem doing it this way is it's easy to over carb the beer. That's why most of us do the "set it and forget it" method and just wait. But you can fully carb 5 gallons of beer in about 15 minutes.

[alb]

And it's nice to know things should run tickety-boo from now on.

TICKETY-BOO??

Thanks, man. That got my Sunday started off right.

[RickBeer]

Wow, that's amazing. We were talking last night and 2 people used tickety-boo in the conversation.

Me: This is a great game, Michigan might actually win.

Man next to me: I was just thinking how tickety-boo their performance is tonight.

Me (as I moved as far away as possible): Yeah, that's just what I was thinking.

Announcer: Fans, the Wolverines are just tickety-boo tonight, aren't they?

[FedoraDave]

And it's nice to know things should run tickety-boo from now on.

TICKETY-BOO??

Thanks, man. That got my Sunday started off right.

You're welcome, Li'l Sis. Feel free to say "Tickety-boo" under the proper circumstances.

[FedoraDave]

In other news, that keg are ded.

I kept tapping it, hoping it would carb properly, and now it's empty, cleaned, and waiting for the next batch. I currently have another keg in there, that I filled just yesterday with 2 Daves Irish Red, and I've been monitoring it, fussing with it (set it at 30 psi yesterday afternoon; vented, rolled, and reset at 20 psi this morning), and I'm hoping for a better result.

The Learning Curve continues to expand....

[D_Rabbit]

Good to hear. My issue with my kegging set up right now is that I can't seem to dial in the regulator to 12psi. I either get 13-14 or 10-11psi. Its starting to annoy me. I keep messing with the screw to try and dial it in but not luck yet. Messed iwth it some more yesterday. Will have to give it a look again today and see how it is holding.

[FedoraDave]

Maybe I'm just being impatient, or maybe something else is going on, but the new keg won't draw. There's beer in the line; I can see it. But apparently not enough pressure to actually draw anything when I open the tap. That's as of yesterday, so I'm going to leave it sit today and see what happens when I get home from work.

If it still won't draw, the only thing I can think is that I installed the beer pin incorrectly; perhaps with the spring in backwards. I dunno; I'm getting really frustrated.